


Redolence

by lovetaki, masasei



Category: DRAMAtical Murder
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-07-14
Updated: 2013-10-02
Packaged: 2017-12-20 03:35:42
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 14,277
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/882474
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lovetaki/pseuds/lovetaki, https://archiveofourown.org/users/masasei/pseuds/masasei
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Aoba is a student at Toue University, and has been getting headaches that makes it hard to concentrate on anything. His professor, Mink, offers to help.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I apologize for not continuing with Redolence, as personal life + loss of interest in DMMd had lost any motivation for me to continue writing. 
> 
> I had a lot more cute chapters left planned, but just wanted all of you to know how glad I am to have so many of you reading this so far =v= thank you~
> 
> Not sure if I will return to this one day, but I don't want to give out false promises. 
> 
> but please continue spread the minao love xoxo
> 
> -lovetaki

“ _Aoba._ ”

That voice. It was barely audible, the pain from his headache clouding his hearing.

Where was he?

Who is calling his name?

It sounded familiar. Was he still in the classroom? Was that voice his professor? It sure sounded like him.

As his senses slowly returned, he realized that yes, he was still in his biochemistry lecture. The carefree chattering of his classmates that surrounded him must mean that the lecture had ended. He must’ve drifted off, carried by the deep voice of his professor. He blinked a couple of times, head still resting on his crossed arms on his desk.

Mink... He always had a nice voice. Secretly, Aoba had always wanted to say his name out loud, but never had the chance to, it was always just _professor_ or _Sir_.

" _Oi_ , Aoba."

Aoba snapped out of his daze and lifted his head upon hearing his name being called, quickly glancing around to see his classmates packing up and trickling out of the classroom. When he finally looked forward, he was startled to see his teacher standing right in front of his desk, staring down at him. How long has he been standing there? And so close!

"Are you back with us?" Mink queried, as he slid a few sheets of paper onto his desk. Aoba glanced down at it, taking a moment to readjust. It was his latest exam paper that was just graded, and he evidently had not done well.

"Oh…" He breathed out, not looking up. It was already unforgivable that he had dozed off in class without realizing it himself. Since it was out of the ordinary for that to happen to him, Aoba was unable to explain himself, a muddle of excuses jumbled in his head. He wrung his hands nervously.

The last of his classmates had left by now, leaving Aoba sitting at his desk alone. When Aoba glanced up, Mink was looking back at him but he didn’t look angry. Nonetheless, he felt his face warm up, never having the teacher stand this close to him before. He straightened up and tried to make himself look as adequate as possible.

"Your grades are slipping." He leaned down on his desk, putting his face even closer to Aoba's. Intense golden eyes were staring into his own and he felt his face warm up again. He felt the sudden urge to back away but was trapped, sitting in the type of desk with an attached chair. Mink’s expression was intimidating, but somehow also seemed to convey other emotions.

After a pause, Mink stood up straight again, gaze unwavering. "That is uncommon even for you," He continued. "Also, it is my obligation as a teacher to consider the wellbeing of all my students."

Bracing himself, Aoba looked down and away from him. He screwed his eyes shut as he felt his headache return with increased intensity. He couldn't hide it from Mink. He heard a soft sigh from above and composed himself again, looking up and squinting his eyes as he tried his best to ignore the bothersome fluorescent lights surrounding his teacher.

"Sir, it's just," Aoba paused, unsure of how to begin. He averted his gaze, finding the dark wooden surface in front of him less harsh on his eyes. "Headaches…" He managed to murmur out. He gave in and laid his head onto the cool desk, temporarily relieving the dull throbs pulsing through his skull.

He heard the sound of cloth rustling as Mink straightened up, followed by the click of the door shutting and finally retreating footsteps. He wasn’t surprised at Mink’s reaction, and was just thankful that he had gotten off with just a warning.

_Hopefully this was a one-time incident_ , Aoba thought. Next time he needed to do better. He had to.

 

  
Much to his dismay, the headaches continued to worsen over the next two weeks, and it was clear that Aoba was still not pulling himself up in class. Mink continued to quietly take notice of this, until he requested Aoba to stay after the class one evening a week after that. Aoba felt sluggish from the headaches anyway and was resting his head on the desk, arms hanging off by the sides.

"Aoba," He began, the same as the previous time. Aoba opened his eyes and looked up at him and slowly lifted his head as Mink placed a bright pink post-it note on his desk.

"I would like you to visit my house when you have time. I am home most evenings." Aoba stared at him in confusion, not bothering to see what the paper was about. Before he could open his mouth to ask, Mink had returned to his desk and continued to speak with his back turned.

"I have something at home that would help with your headaches.” That caught Aoba’s attention, but faded away as soon as it came. “Please consider."

Aoba allowed those words to process in his head for a moment. Did he say... his house? Since when do teachers casually invite their students to their home?

What a strange request...

Aoba realized he still had another class to get to in less than five minutes, so he reluctantly started packing up, sticking the post-it note in one of his textbooks without looking at it. Without a word, he scurried out of the classroom, urging his headache to please please please just go _away_.


	2. Chapter 2

At home, Aoba’s headaches had worsened to the point where he couldn’t concentrate on anything. All he could do was curl up in his bed with his arms around his head to shut out the lights and the sounds. It didn’t help much. Giving up, he squinted through his arms and saw his books piled up in a messy heap on the floor nearby. A familiar post-it note stuck out of one of his books and he was suddenly reminded of what transpired weeks prior.

It was pink. Pink was always a common feature for the items upon his teacher’s desk. Aoba found this odd, considering his character. Aoba realized he had never even looked at the contents of the post-it note properly. Should he ignore it and continue to curl up on the bed hoping for the pain to go away? Mink said he could help, but how? He could have just gone to a doctor once he got past his stubbornness, but they would probably just prescribe him with some strong pain medication that was enough to knock him out or make him unfocused in school. Aoba couldn’t have that.

Another flare of pain shot through Aoba’s head.

He was seriously considering Mink’s offer.

Aoba sighed, sliding off his bed and reaching for the post-it note. “Is he really my last resort...?” He muttered to himself. It was weird, Mink actually being concerned for his wellbeing. It seemed too out of character, especially for a teacher to act like such toward their student. Yet...

That pink slip was taunting him, sticking out of the book, waiting to be pulled out and read. He hesitated for a moment before yanking the slip out from between the pages and taking a good look at it.

“... Where the fuck is this?”

 

 

Aoba stared out the window, watching his surroundings change from the familiar cityscape to a flourish of lush green fields. The address Mink wrote down pointed to some place an hour outside of the city, giving Aoba no choice but to take a cab out there. The driver seemed to know where he was going, though. The sky was darkening by now, and Aoba noticed how there were more stars visible out here compared to in the city. He shut his eyes, deciding on a quick nap as there was still about half an hour left of his journey.

 

 

Blinking awake as the taxi slowed down on the bumpy dirt road, Aoba looked around at his surroundings. There were no lights lining the narrow road, but he could see a faint glow not too far off. He realized it was emitted from the half-shut window of a little cabin that was slowly coming into view.

_Finally._ After what seemed like ages, Aoba had arrived at the lone house that could only be Mink’s. He got off the taxi, paid the driver and thanked him before he slowly walked towards the house. He took in the wooden exterior, wondering what a place like this was doing in the middle of nowhere. It was beautiful. _Just like Mink..._

The door clicked opened as he approached it. Mink stood there, basked in the soft light and holding it open as he approached.

Aoba was slightly startled at how different he looked - the most noticeable difference being the smart-looking pair of glasses that were perched on the bridge of his nose. One other thing he noticed was the strong smell of cinnamon. He always caught a whiff of faint cinnamon scent every time Mink had walked past his desk in class, but he wasn’t quite paying attention. Did he always smell this way?

Aoba stood there awkwardly, hoping his expression wasn’t _too_ gawky as he stared at his professor. Mink finally broke the slight tension between them, gesturing Aoba to follow him into the house.

“Ah-”

“Take a seat.”

Aoba complied and sat down on the couch, still feeling somewhat awkward as he glanced around as the room. Mink had disappeared into another other room, but Aoba was too distracted with taking in the furnishings of the room. His eyes fell on the objects that were carefully placed on the coffee table, little wooden boxes and containers that were intricately painted with contrasting colours.

Mink reappeared with two steaming mugs, his footfalls quiet as he padded back into the living room. He set the two mugs down on coffee table, mindful of the other objects. He then pulled up a chair and sat across the table from Aoba.

“I had been searching for the right ingredients that I believe will help your headaches.” At that, Aoba was stunned. His teacher had been taking his time to do something for him, someone who was only a student?

“Ah, sir...” Aoba began, but was interrupted by Mink.

“We are not at Toue University. Call me Mink.”

“Mink...” For some reason, it felt good to finally say it. _Mink._

Aoba took a sip of his coffee, and was surprised to find that it was sweet. He also noted that Mink’s voice sounded different tonight. Deep as usual, but somehow gentler. Even if his facial expression and persona haven’t changed much, there was something in his eyes. The impression he always gave in class was always that of a man you couldn’t stand, but Aoba couldn’t see that in him right now. Maybe this is just normal, how students feel seeing their teachers outside of school.

“What are these for?” He gestured toward the unfamiliar contents on the coffee table, but Mink didn’t give an immediate answer. Instead, Mink just started picking up what looked to be incense according to what he has seen in shops. Then, lighting them up, he arranged them carefully on the table in front of Aoba. Soon enough, he could smell a mixture of scents coming from them.

“Aromatherapy.” Mink explained. “Although, it is not the only method I plan to use.”

Aoba fidgeted. What other plans does he have, and what do they involve? As grateful as Aoba was to have Mink for having actually thought of a solution where he himself hadn’t, it was strange for a teacher to do so much by themselves. The entire situation made him nervous.

“If I may ask, do you have any idea what started your headaches?” It was a simple question, not a hint of concern about him. Mink just wanted to know why his head hurts, perhaps, to find the best way to help.

“I am not sure,” Aoba began, looking down at the floor by his feet. He really had no clue. After a moment of thinking, he gave a half-hearted chuckle. “Your lecture, probably.” Immediately realizing how terrible that joke was, he brought his palm to his face. “‘Sorry, that was just...”

Then he heard something he had never heard out of Mink’s voice. A small chuckle. Even for just a second, he heard it. Perhaps Mink wasn’t so bad after all... He has been gentle ever since inviting him into his home.

Looking back up, there was no evidence on Mink’s face that he had laughed, not even a little. Maybe Aoba had made it up, or that laugh was his own. Still, he shook his head. A mistake. The headache reappeared viciously. “I don’t know, really. It’s been like that for a while.”

He wanted to say more, anything to help really. However his thoughts became more and more muddled as the seconds ticked on, the pain increasing and causing his focus to suffer. “I...” He started again, furrowing his brow, trying to concentrate. He couldn’t bring words to the surface of his mind, the pain drowning out any coherent thought he could wish for.

The pain kept growing, and soon Aoba couldn’t bear to keep his head upright or his eyes open. Leaning over and holding his head, Aoba wished for nothing more but the pain to go away.

“Aoba...”

He could hear Mink’s voice, but it sounded distant, he couldn’t concentrate on where Mink actually was. _This is too much_ , he thought to himself, a groan escaping his lips as he started to slip.

“Ugh...”


	3. Chapter 3

Aoba had no recollection of passing out. When he came to, there was a soft pillow beneath his head and he was lying on the couch. In his groggy state, he was distantly aware of a mixture of scents in front of him, but one in particular stood out the most: cinnamon.

Gentle fingers were now pushing the hair away from his face, coming to rest at his forehead. Whoever was doing this seemed to be checking his temperature, but why? Was he at home again? It seemed like something granny would do, but she didn't smell like cinnamon. Unless she was baking something?

No, he remembered. He wasn’t at home. That hand... was Mink’s.

He opened his eyes with a groan. The first thing he saw was Mink’s face, and was surprised to see how tender he appeared. There seemed as if there was some kind of ambiance around Mink. Perhaps he was still legarthic from his recent stupor, or from the overbearing scents, but--

No, Mink must have just dimmed the lights so it wouldn’t bother Aoba’s eyes, but it just made everything seem so _different_.

Maybe it was just him. Maybe he needed to rest a bit more. Closing his eyes, he let out a sigh.

“How are you feeling?” Mink’s voice was soft, his hand still on Aoba’s forehead. It must have been there to check his temperature, and he could feel the heat radiating strongly from it, but Mink had decided to let his hand linger there. Aoba didn’t mind, it was just comforting in a way.

“Better, I suppose.” He responded quietly, on the verge of falling asleep again. He was just too comfortable, and wanted them to stay like this for a while. However, Mink had removed his hand, and Aoba let out an involuntary quiet groan.

He heard the sound of Mink arranging things around on the table, and then there was a new scent. Inhaling deeply, he allowed the scent to wash over him as he drifted off again.

  
  
  


The scent of food was the first thing he smelled when Aoba came to again. The growling noise in his stomach made him sit up slightly, feeling self-conscious and hoping Mink didn’t hear that.

There was a bowl of stew in front of him, barely fitting in with the rest of the assortment on the coffee table.

“Ahh...” Slowly, he sat up, his stomach growling even more. How long had he slept?

“I figured you might be hungry.” Mink grunted from his usual spot across from him. Aoba noticed he didn’t have a bowl of his own. Did Mink already eat?

“... Thank you.” More and more, Aoba was surprised how gentle Mink was treating him. First he took care of him while he passed out, and now he made him food. It smelled good...

He sat up and turned, lifting the bowl and moving it onto his lap, eating and fully conscious of Mink watching him. Aoba didn’t look up, instead keeping his eyes on the rapidly emptying bowl. He hardly paid attention to what he was eating though, other than the fact that it was warming him up, but it didn’t help calm his stomach full of butterflies. Why did he feel so flustered?

Finally putting the empty bowl down, he decided to look closely at everything that was on the table. He barely recognized any of them, aside from the obvious ones like incense. Yet, there was this certain new smell and he couldn’t pinpoint which one it came from.

“What is this new smell?” Aoba asked. Mink got up, picked a round metallic item off the table and moved over to sit down next to him. He tensed up a bit, remembering Mink’s gentle treatment of him while he slept. Aoba felt his face flush, unable to hide it.

“This,” Mink turned the object over in his hand, “is a pomander.” The metal surface reflected the dim firelight into Aoba’s eyes as he examined it. “I made it myself quite a while ago. It contains several unique herbs.”

Mink was seemingly oblivious to Aoba’s change in behavior.

Aoba’s gaze wandered off from the pomander and trailed onto Mink’s fingers. There was another, different scent that was enticing him now. It seemed to come from _him_. He looked up at him into his amber eyes, which were gentle but there was something else. Not only in his eyes, but Mink’s face seemed peculiar, though his expression was unreadable. Did he notice Aoba’s behavior after all?

Regardless, Aoba casted his eyes downward. “I like that one.” He mused. He took the object from Mink’s hand and held it up, pretending to be interested in it until he returned it to the table. With that out of the way, Aoba could focus on what was really on his mind the whole time. He leaned in close to Mink, shifting his body forward with not so much subtlety.

“On the other hand,” His head was swirling now, and he hoped that he wasn’t going to pass out.

He lowered his voice to a whisper, “I found a new scent that I like...” and traced down the front of Mink’s sweater with his index finger.

His head felt so foggy at this point, as if he was having one of his headaches, but there was no pain. What was going on...?

Aoba let his body fall forward into Mink’s body, and after a pause, Mink’s arms slowly circled him to secure him in place.

“... Aoba.” Even Mink’s voice sounded different.

Raising his head, he looked into Mink’s eyes again. From this point onward, Aoba wasn’t sure exactly what led him to do this, but Mink put up no resistance. Mink did not stop Aoba’s hand from lifting to his face, nor did he stop his body from lifting up enough to reach level with the taller man.

Too close to back off now...

Mink’s eyes fell closed, and Aoba took a second to appreciate the fine details of his face before closing the gap between them, lips meeting for the first time.

As he expected, Mink was warm and his scent swirled around him. Aoba was acutely aware of everything between them, including the strong hands that seemed to burn over his clothes. He slid his tongue out, barely gliding it along Mink’s bottom lip. Interesting, he could taste a hint of cinnamon.

Mink’s lips steeled with unresponsiveness.

They parted slowly, Aoba’s eyelids fluttering open, catching the amber gaze of his professor. His eyes seemed to flash, suddenly looking cold and guarded. Aoba inhaled sharply, taken aback by the change. He knew better now to back off, turning his body and facing the fireplace again.

His head didn’t feel very hazy now. He had no idea what brought this on, other than being attracted to Mink for a while but he usually had good sense to inhibit himself from acting on those urges.

Mink didn’t seem happy, either. There was a strong and uncomfortable tension between them, and Aoba decided to keep still and quiet, resisting the urge to fidget in discomfort.

They sat together in awkward silence in the dim light of the room provided by the fireplace, neither moving nor looking at each other. Mink hadn’t moved, so he must be lost in his own thoughts. Aoba bit his lip instead to distract himself, mind wandering back to the kiss earlier and that swipe of cinnamon he got. It couldn’t have been _that_ bad, yet he couldn’t tell what Mink was thinking.

 _Was_ he mad? He half expected Mink to yell or push him away after what he just did, but this was completely different. Aoba couldn’t tell if Mink liked it, or was too embarassed by the kiss. For sure now, he felt ashamed. His lips still burned, and he couldn’t help but bite onto it as if it would help. Should he apologize? Or should he just go home...

After enduring awkwardness for a while, he felt the other man shift beside him.

“It’s getting late.” Mink sighed. Aoba finally checked the time on his coil. Almost 11pm.

“Oh.”

And he just remembered. “I... ah, took a cab here.” He paused and turned to Mink, “How shall I-” he broke off mid-sentence, taken aback by how Mink was staring at him. Was he looking at him this whole time?

Mink had turned away though, seeming to think up a response. After what seemed ages to Aoba, Mink sighed. “It’s too late to call for a cab.” He stood up, and made to leave the room. “You can stay the night on the couch. I’ll get you a blanket.”

Aoba was stunned by how cold Mink’s voice was, it was worse than in his lectures. It stung a little but at least he wasn’t kicking him out. Still...

Moments later, Mink had returned with a bundle of thick blankets and an extra pillow and set it on the couch without looking at Aoba. Without speaking any further, he proceeded to tidy up the coffee table, packing up the contents carefully into several boxes  and gathering them up in his arms, leaving the room for the final time that night.

  
  
  


Aoba rolled over on the narrow couch again, squirming a bit and trying to get comfortable in his regular clothes. They were definitely not made for sleeping in; he wished Mink had given him some pajamas instead. He could have taken them all off, but he felt weird about sleeping naked on someone else’s couch, especially as a guest to someone whom he had just pissed off.

He wrapped the blanket Mink gave him closer to his body. If he closed his eyes, he could pretend that Mink was holding him. The scent of cinnamon lingered faintly, reminding him of the spontaneous kiss from earlier.

While the aftermath didn’t go as well as he hoped, Aoba now couldn’t stop thinking about Mink. It was like that kiss stirred something in Aoba, and he just wanted to be there with Mink again.

Sighing, he decided he would apologize the moment he woke up, and maybe explain himself to Mink. If he could explain it, that is.

Mink might have been quiet tonight, but perhaps he would return to normal in the morning.

 

 

  
He was wrong. Morning came and went, and it was the same cold silence as the last night. Mink had awoken Aoba, and though he had left a glass of water for him, he didn’t say or do anything else until it was time for them to leave.

It was painful riding in the car with Mink. Aoba lost the courage to say anything to him, and kept his eyes on the scenery outside until he was greeted to the familiar sight of the city. It was then he turned to Mink at last, realizing that he could not have known where Aoba lived. Meekly, he gave him directions, and it was back to riding in silence.

When they finally arrived at Aoba house, Aoba meant to just leave with a thanks, and hurry on inside and think over what to do when they next have classes together, but Mink had stopped him before he had put his hand on the door handle. Aoba turned back around, and his eyes met the same cold stare in Mink’s. Were they finally going to talk about it? Here?

Mink sighed, looking away. “Your headaches cannot be improved after one session.” Oh... so it’s just about that. “Come talk to me after our next class to reschedule.” This was just all about his headache. For some reason, Aoba felt disappointed. He nodded, and with a quiet thanks, he stepped out of the car. Mink took off, leaving Aoba standing here watching him go, a slight twinge in his heart.


	4. Chapter 4

The next time Aoba saw Mink was in lecture. Aoba was not able to stop thinking about their last session, and tried to avoid any eye contact with his professor in case his eyes betrayed him.

However, Mink didn’t seem to treat him any differently than usual while in class, showing neither the gentler side of him nor the colder side of him. He was just acting the way he always was, as Aoba’s professor.

When the lecture ended, Mink had motioned to Aoba to approach his desk as everyone else started filing out. Aoba gathered his things and walked up to him at an uncertain pace.

“Your marks aren’t showing any signs of improvement,” Mink revealed as he handed Aoba a graded report back.

Aoba flinched a bit at the normalcy of this and sniffled a bit, catching the slightest whiff of cinnamon. “I’m... sorry, sir.” There was no way in hell he would admit to how much he had been spending his time thinking about Mink and how much he wanted to hear his gentle voice once more. To kiss him again.

Aoba looked around to confirm that the rest of his classmates had gone, then turned back to Mink. “I understand that you were trying to help me, but... It was only the first session, right?”

“Yes.” Mink’s voice lowered, but remained as impassive as ever. “We will need to schedule another one.”

 

  
Once again, Aoba took the cab to Mink’s house. After relaying the directions to the new cab driver, Aoba allowed himself to slink down in his seat in the back and lose himself in his thoughts. The feeling in his stomach was different than he anticipated, more nervous than excited to see Mink at his home again. Even if he had invited him back to his house to continue another session, what if Mink was still upset with him? He would have to have better control of himself this time. _If that was ever possible._

When they reached his house, he once again thanked the driver and stepped out, quickly remembering that last time he had taken a cab here, it had gotten so late that he had to spend the night. Considering the situation, maybe the session would be brief and he will return home just as soon.

Aoba watched the cab take off, took a deep breath, and turned to walk toward the house.  
  
It was just like last time; when Mink opened the door and stood waiting for Aoba, his expression was softened, relaxed. Although he wasn't smiling, Aoba could not see any trace of the cold expression from last night. His hair was tied back tonight, making him look like a completely different person with his glasses on as well.

Aoba felt elated at the sight of Mink like this, wondering if he is hallucinating this moment. He pushed away the thought of how Mink behaved back at the university compared to here, and walked inside.

Everything seemed normal, with the usual trinkets spread out on Mink’s table again. He was comforted by the scents already.

Aoba turned around to Mink.

“Ah...sir, I really just...” He blushed a bit, unable to hide it. “... appreciate this. What you are doing for me.”

Mink’s eyes widened a bit and then he averted his gaze. “As I mentioned before, it is my obligation to look out for my students. If I see a viable solution to a problem, I will do my best to help.” He looked back at Aoba, and with a hint of amusement in his voice, he added “Also, if you would remember, I had told you to call me Mink.”

Aoba nodded, silently moving to the couch. He sank down on the cushions and closed his eyes. As good as it felt being here, there was still a nagging sense of something that had to be resolved.

“It’s better if you laid down,” Mink instructed as he took his spot across from him, lighting a few sticks of incense.

Aoba didn't feel sleepy, nor did he feel close to passing out this time, but he complied. Lying down, he took a deep breath to inhale the scent around him. He haven’t had any trouble with his headaches since coming here today, which he was grateful for. Maybe this really was working.

He couldn’t stop thinking about what happened last session. It was constantly pressing him at the back of his mind, and he wanted to talk to Mink about it. What was _his_ feeling about it?

“Mink...” Aoba called out quietly, eyes still shut.

“Hm?”

He paused for a bit here to reconsider what he was thinking, as this may not be the best time to bring it up. Considering the way Mink had acted after Aoba’s impulsive action, he was worried whether or not he would want to think about it again. It was probably just a one time thing, he guessed. After all, he was only here because of Mink’s offer to help treat his headaches, and that’s it. Sadly...

“Never mind.”

 

Feeling restless after about half an hour, Aoba sat up and sighed. The scents were helping to calm him, but sitting around quietly felt like a waste of their time, though he knew it really wasn’t. Mink barely acknowledged the change in his posture, too immersed in his book while sat still in his seat across from him.

Aoba glanced at the array of objects laid out on the table again. The incense was burning steadily, more than half depleted by now. He skimmed his eyes over little wooden boxes with intricate openwork and inlays, colourfully painted ceramic containers, stopping when he saw the the metallic glimmer of a familiar round object - the pomander.

While his recollection of that night wasn’t perfect, he was sure that this object was the last thing he held before _that_ happened. He reached for it and Mink finally looked up from the book he was immersed in, watching his movements.

The pomander dangled by its delicate chain, swinging like a pendulum. Something familiar wafted from the object, confirming his suspicions. The scent from the pomander _was_ the reason why he felt so hazy last time--

_Too late to realize that now_ , he thought, his mind felt like it was already under the influence, his grip loosened slightly. Before he could react, the chain slid out of his fingers. He watched it drop (in exaggerated slow motion), Mink’s eyes widened across from him, but he was also too slow to save it. The pomander crashed onto the table, cracking open and spilling its contents.

Mink was up and around the table before he could muster up an apology. He picked it up, examined it and sighed. After using his free hand to carefully sweep up the dried herbs into a small pile, he turned around to Aoba, who looked at him questioningly.

Letting out a small “heh”, Mink sat down on the couch next to Aoba, who immediately felt his face warm up. He turned the pomander in his fingers, surveying the damage.

“The angle you dropped it at bent the catch. Now it won't be able to close properly.” He sighed. “At least the rest of it wasn’t dented... what precision.” He added under his breath.

Aoba looked over at it, feeling a slight twinge of guilt. “Ah... Let me try.”

“It won’t work, you know.” Mink handed the pomander over to Aoba as if to humour him.

Aoba was feeling even more hazy now, but a pang of guilt and frustration cut through that haziness as he took the pomander from Mink. He fiddled with the catch for a while, opened and closed the pomander a few more times, but Mink was right, it was broken. The scent still lingered in the empty shell as if taunting him. Goddamn it, why is he hazy again now.

After it was clear to him that the catch was indeed broken with no way to fix right now, he sighed and returned the pomander back to Mink. He let his fingers brush and linger against Mink’s palm, taking in the feeling of his slightly roughened skin. The warmth from Mink’s hand was seeping into his fingers. Reluctantly, Aoba started to open his fingers to let go of the pomander, sliding them through the spaces between Mink’s fingers and loosely interlacing them together. He paused, heart hammering in his chest, anticipating Mink’s reaction.

“You’re thinking about what happened the last time, aren’t you.” Mink’s voice was quiet and low.

“I...” His head was feeling hazy, but he knew his answer. Whatever was holding him back last time is gone now.

“Yeah, I am.”

Suddenly feeling emboldened by his own words, he took the pomander from Mink’s palm, set it down on the table and took Mink’s hand again, properly this time.

“Can I... can we do it again?”

Mink was silent.

Aoba put his other hand on Mink’s arm, and slowly turned him round to face one another. _Why isn’t he saying anything?_

Mink could’ve easily brushed him off, but he didn’t show any signs of resisting Aoba’s advances.

Yet, the look in his eyes... Did he want this as much as Aoba did?

Aoba decided to test this by slowly leaning up towards Mink, waiting for a moment to see if there would be any change in Mink. When there was none, he closed the space between them.

This time, Mink responded to the kiss. It surprised Aoba enough to stop for a second to see his face, but Mink looked at Aoba with a faint smile. That did it. Mink removed his glasses, carefully set it aside on the coffee table, and then moved Aoba’s chin closer to kiss him again.

Elated, Aoba threw his arm around Mink’s neck and dove deeper into the kiss. With no resistance between them, it felt like they could go on all night.

However, Aoba was starting to get overwhelmed by the scents around them around the two of them. Mink’s scent stood out in particular as he inhaled. He was still unable to contain himself at this point, even when there was a hint of Mink holding himself back now.

“Aoba.”

Mink was trying to pull away from the kiss, but Aoba wasn’t letting him move away.

“Let me just..” It was quite difficult for Mink to get a word in, despite also wanting to keep going. Though, the boy was just too persistent.

“Oi..!” That was enough. Aoba had stopped, pulling his head back with a look of frustrated disappointment.

“What’s wrong?” Aoba frowned, staring instead at Mink’s lips.

In turn, Mink was studying Aoba’s expression, half feeling bad about stopping them right there. Yet, this wasn’t right. Not like this, not now.

“Is this what you really want?” Mink lifted Aoba’s chin up to look into his eyes, holding his gaze steady.

That seemed to a mistake on its own, because the very contact seemed to push Aoba to kiss him again with enthusiasm, showing instead of telling Mink his answer.

“Aoba...”

Aoba seemed to finally have yielded, seemingly having no more fight left in him as he drew back.

He sighed. “Mink, I....”

It was difficult for Aoba to collect his thoughts. He did not know what to say, and whether to apologize. It appeared to him that Mink had enjoyed this just as much, until he had stopped at least. Moreover, Aoba was afraid that Mink would end up being cold to him again.

Mink sighed, looking down at their hands, still holding each other. “The scent from the pomander. You do know what it does now?” Aoba nodded, turning to look over in the direction of the now useless object.

“I figured it out earlier.” Looking back to Mink, he studied the amber eyes for a bit. “Did you know?”

Mink nodded, looking a bit regretful. “Some of the herbs do contain a bit of an aphrodisiac among the useful properties that I was looking for, but only a small amount. I… did not expect this to happen.”

Mink averted his eyes from Aoba, who held in a slight suspicion that Mink had actually known about it. Why, then, would he look so responsible for this?

“I see...” He said quietly, absentmindedly stroking Mink’s hand with his thumb. Even though he was aware of this now, there was only one thing on his mind, and right now all he wanted to do was continue to act upon it.

“Can we still...” Aoba pleaded quietly, searching into Mink’s eyes for the answer to his unfinished question.

“Hm,” There was a slight twitch in Mink’s lips, almost as if he had to meant to grin. It just wasn’t fair to Aoba that Mink could compose himself better. “I guess it can’t be hel-”

Mink’s words were interrupted by Aoba suddenly pulling his head down and eagerly reinitiating the kiss. This time, he unabashedly swiped at Mink’s lips with his tongue, prying them open and forcing his tongue into Mink’s mouth. Mink was slow to react, remaining still for a moment before responding to Aoba’s advances, wrapping his arms around Aoba’s small waist and pulling him closer.

Without breaking the kiss, Aoba lifted himself up, swinging his leg over Mink so he was straddling his lap. He felt Mink’s sharp inhale, then his hands sliding down from his waist to his hips and grasping it with surprising firmness. For a second, Aoba thought he would push him away but instead, Mink slid his hands under Aoba’s sweater, the hot fingers against his skin making him flinch. He let out a soft moan, melting into the kiss and tangling his fingers into Mink’s hair.

Mink stopped, pulling away slightly, his rapid breathing tickling Aoba’s lips. Aoba looked at him shyly and turned his head away.

What now? What was going through Mink’s mind? He desperately wanted to know the answer, but he was afraid to open his mouth and ruin everything.

Mink once again took his chin and gently turns his head back to face him. His eyes were gentle.

“We shouldn’t do this now,” Mink was saying the exact words Aoba had been dreading to hear. “Your head-- _our_ heads are not clear. If we kept this up, we will end up doing things that we regret since it will not be by our own judgement.”

Aoba didn’t respond, even though he wanted to offer up his own defense. Mink continued, showing weariness in his voice.

“You must understand, Aoba. I am not saying that I am.... against this.” Mink distracted himself a bit by tugging the string that tied his hair up, letting his hair down and smoothing it out.

“The university does not have any policies about students having relations with teachers, either.” Mink seemed to be considering his words carefully, knowing full well that whatever he could say would impact them for the rest of the night.

“But... this is going too fast.”

They sat like this in silence for a bit, both unsure of how to proceed from here. The excursion was catching up to Aoba and he was beginning to feel a little drowsy. He bowed his head, letting out a long exhale.

Mink took Aoba’s hand into his own again, as if to reassure him. “You should think about this until our next session.”

Aoba didn’t look up, but felt his heart skip a beat. “There will be a next session?”

He waited for a response, watching Mink’s chest rise and fall.

“Yes.”

“... Okay.” Aoba whispered, feeling himself drift off even further. He was still conscious enough to feel Mink’s kiss on his forehead, his lips cool against his hot skin. He was just content sitting here like this with Mink, breathing in his scent. Despite how the night had gone, he was still here. Mink wasn’t pushing him away this time. He could just... sleep like this.

And he did.

Mink let out another sigh, resting his head back as he gently embraced Aoba.

_“You’re killing me here.”_


	5. Chapter 5

Aoba knew where he was before he opened his eyes, inhaling in the faint cinnamon scent that lingered on the blanket wrapped around him. He hadn’t remembered passing out last night, but after a few seconds, he was able to have an entire recollection of what happened. Embarrassment crept up on him, and he pulled the blanket over his head - which only made it worse as the scent was even stronger under there.

He stayed like this for a bit until a gentle hand landed on the top of his covered head. Exhaling slowly, he began to pull the blanket away from his head and looked up, still with fatigue in his eyes, to the face above him. Mink had kneeled besides the couch so his face was close to Aoba’s, which made him even more flustered.

Mink only chuckled and smiled, then moved to stand up. “It’s time for you to go home.”

  


Aoba was about to head over to the passenger side of the car before he was stopped by Mink’s hand on his arm. Mink spun him around to face him and gave him a brief kiss. It lasted only a second, but it was a pleasant kiss nonetheless. When Mink drew back, Aoba looked up to those soft amber eyes.

“What was that for?” He hummed quietly, wondering if he was going to get another one of those before returning home.

Mink only sighed, letting go of Aoba’s arm to head inside the car. Aoba followed suit, still looking inquisitively at Mink as he started the car. He was silent for the whole drive, but wasn’t the same kind of unnerving silence as before, so Aoba opted to look out the window again, the events from the night before still fresh in his mind.

They pulled up to a familiar building, and Aoba was sort of disappointed to have arrived home already. If only if time could stop so they could stay together longer. He turned to utter a thanks, but Mink was already prepared to say something.

“Just remember what I asked of you last night.”

Aoba blinked in surprise, taking in a moment to remember what he meant. Then, with a soft ‘oh’, he nodded. “Of... course. I will.”

Standing outside, he once again watched Mink take off, this time with a swelling feeling of happiness and unable to drop the smile on his face. Sure, he’ll think about it. Not that he had much to think about.

  


The next week, Aoba woke up to discover something he hadn't seen all year. Gathering his blankets around him, he quickly got out of bed and went over to the window, eyes widening as he looked outside. Although there wasn’t much, he was still happy to see it.

It was snowing.

He heard footsteps behind him, but he didn’t turn. Granny’s voice rang out from the door, followed by a soft thump of something landing on his bed.

“You better get dressed soon, and in something warm.” Aoba turned to see what was thrown on his bed, and it was a thicker coat he hadn’t worn since last year. He nodded to Granny gratefully.

“Yes, thank you.” He was smiling, and realized that it wasn’t just the light snowfall that was making him happy. _Today... today I get to see Mink again._

Granny looked at him, crossing her arms. “What are you happy about?”

“Nothing.” He waved her off, moving toward the door to shut it so he can get changed. Still smiling, he looked at her one last time before the door closed completely. “It’s just snowing.”

“Pretty happy for someone who has seen snow before.” He heard Granny’s voice from behind the door, then her retreating footsteps.

  


Aoba approached the classroom with anticipation, slowing down when he reached the door. Adjusting his sweater, he composed himself enough and headed inside, only to find that Mink was not yet there.

How odd. He was never late to his own lecture.

Regardless, he took a seat among the other waiting students, keeping his eyes glued to the door. His stomach felt knotted, and his heart was racing too fast. _Calm down._ He breathed in, leaning against his desk, anxious and fidgeting.

When Mink finally walked in only a minute late, Aoba sat up a little too quickly, but Mink wasn’t looking in his direction. That’s okay, though. Mink is just going to do what he always do, teach his class.

Yet, as the lecture went on, Aoba wasn’t prepared for what exactly happened. Or what didn’t happen. It may have been subtle, but it was completely obvious to Aoba.

Mink was ignoring him.

Maybe he was thinking on it too much, but it had become clear when the lecture was nearing its end: Aoba’s presence went completely unacknowledged by Mink.

His resentment started to grow as he stared at Mink this whole time, waiting for just a second of eye contact so he could really see what was going on in Mink’s mind. It never happened. Aoba was left sitting at his desk feeling invisible as the lecture ended, unable to reach out to Mink as he had departed before the first student was out the door.

Aoba waited around until the classroom was empty, and then gazed over at Mink’s empty desk. Why was he doing this?

The fond memory of what happened during their last session resurfaced in his mind. Mink had asked Aoba to think about this. He had made up his mind, deciding firmly that he didn’t need to think any further. This was what he wanted with Mink. All he had to do was wait patiently until their next session, and tell that to him.

Giving Aoba time to think didn’t mean Mink had to act this way. Would it only make things worse? Was that what Mink really wanted, to get rid of Aoba?

It was because of that pomander that ignited the passion between them, and there was no doubt that Mink wanted Aoba just as much. Even now, he still wanted Mink. He didn’t have to be under the influence to know his feelings.

Slowly, he packed his bags, and left the classroom, feeling dejected. His mind continued to reel over those thoughts as he waded through the crowds, unsure in his direction.

What if that was just the kind of person Mink was? Aoba was the one to make the first move, so he could have used that to his advantage. Maybe he ended up feeling guilty using Aoba in that way, since he couldn’t reciprocate the same feelings. If so, why couldn’t he just say that? Was he planning on waiting for Aoba’s answer to shoot him down? Was his behavior in class a way of giving Aoba his answer?

“Sorry...” He murmured to a random student he had accidentally bumped into, and decided to find a quiet place to sit down so he doesn’t run into anyone else. He was lost in his thoughts, growing more and more negative as he thought of all the possible explanations as to why Mink was acting that way. Things could have gone differently. Aoba might never have had these headaches and done well in class, and Mink wouldn’t be there to offer his assistance. Would he have treated anyone else the same way?

  


After a tiring day, Aoba resigned to bed early. He stripped off his clothes, save for his boxers, and climbed under the covers, burying his face into his pillow.

There’s no reason to be upset like this. Aoba has been acting like this was some sort of teenage crush, lusting after his professor and wishing things could happen. But it did happen. He wasn’t a teenager anymore, either. They were both adults now, acting on adult impulses. It was only natural for things like to happen, right? Mink didn’t have to act that way today.

Flipping over to his side, he stared at the blank wall.

That’s it. He’s going to talk to Mink tomorrow after class. He needed an answer as soon as possible, regardless of whether if they have a session coming up. If Mink wouldn’t say anything, Aoba would have to just kiss him. That’s one feeling you can’t hide, right?

Aoba closed his eyes.

Kissing Mink _was_ really nice. Receiving kisses from Mink was just as nice.

The things Aoba did, though. It embarrassed him even now to remember his actions, even if it was from the influence of the scents in the pomander. He felt so lewd. Knowing he was capable of those sort of advances, he had wondered what would have happened if Mink didn’t stop him. The warmth in his face from the embarrassment started spreading further down. Despite himself, despite everything Mink had done today, he still had his memory to hang on to.

What _could_ have happened?

Mink said that they may regret it, but Aoba wasn’t entirely sure if he was right.

Damn him...

Heat continued to build up in his lower regions as he lost himself in his memories, and Aoba could no longer contain himself. Sliding a hand down and underneath his boxers, he gingerly reached for his half-hard length, letting out a soft gasp at the touch. _Jeez, Aoba... how long has it been?_

Too long.

He began to slowly stroke himself, turning his face to hide into the pillow and inhaling deeply. To his surprise, he caught a faint scent of cinnamon, which made him harder. How could it been in there? Did it stick to his hair, then in turn, into his pillow?

It didn’t matter. With that scent, he could pretend Mink was there. That it was Mink’s hand instead of his. Aoba’s hand was much smaller than Mink’s, so the illusion was weak. Still...

Aoba circled his thumb around the tip, precum already dripping from it, wondering what kind of things Mink would do if he had done this to him.

Would he be rough?

Or would he be gentle?

Fast?

Slow?

Would he tease him right before he came?

All kinds of ideas flooded through Aoba’s head as he sped up his strokes, biting into his pillow to keep himself from making any noises. Even so, he had let out a little moan, which had him bring up his other hand to put over his mouth. Goddamn it, why does he...

The intense feeling that was building up in his stomach caused Aoba to curl up, his hand tight over his mouth and the other giving his length all he’s got.

“M-miiiink...” he whimpered, voice muffled by his hand. One more whiff of the cinnamon brought him over the edge. His entire body tensed, then shuddered violently as he came, the warm fluid soaking the front of his boxers.

Aoba stayed in that position, trying to calm his breathing as he reeled from his orgasm. His feelings were too conflicted at this point, and not to mention he was absolutely exhausted, both physically and mentally. As good as his feelings were for Mink, he was just too upset by how he had been treated by him lately.

He rolled over on his back, sluggishly slipping out of his stained boxers and threw them in a random direction away from the bed, making a mental note to dispose of them later into the laundry hamper.

One thing he knew for sure...

He will definitely talk to Mink tomorrow.

  


Unfortunately, it was impossible to get a hold of Mink. During their next lecture, Mink had continued to ignore Aoba, and once again slipped out of class at the end. He had decided to wait around his office, but Mink never showed up.

So that’s how it’s going to be.

  


Later at dinner, Aoba could only glare reproachfully at his food. He had barely ate, chopsticks tapping the edge of his porcelain bowl, until Granny had enough of this.

“Why don’t you tell me what’s going on with you.”

Aoba kept his head down, not wanting to share with her at the moment what was going on in his head. Even he couldn’t understand it.

He heard a huff, then the sliding of her chair as she got up and took her bowl away. Aoba set his chopsticks down, deciding that he wasn’t hungry at all. Before he could rise from his seat, Granny was at his side and suddenly there was a swift hand to the back of his head.

“Owww… what was that for?” Aoba groaned, reaching up to touch where she had slapped him.

“Got you speaking, didn’t I?” Another huff, and Granny sat back down in her chair.

“You better eat up, or tell me what’s going on in that head of yours. Either way, you’re not getting out of that chair.”

Aoba winced, finally looking up at his Granny. He took a moment to study her stern expression, then suddenly felt grateful for her presence. If he couldn’t understand his own thoughts, maybe she could.

“I… just,” He looked down at his laps, wringing his hands. Should he tell her everything, or just pieces of it? He couldn’t very well lie to her either, but he wasn’t sure how comfortable she would be with the truth.

However, before he could open his mouth, his head had to deal with another unwelcomed slap from Granny’s hand.

“You have a terrible habit of over thinking.”

Granny then excused him from the table, and he quietly made his way to his room, carrying her words in his head. And also, those bruises.

It was too much for him to consider starting on homework, and knowing he’d regret it later, he slid in bed. It was far too early, and he wasn’t tired enough to sleep, but laying there and thinking was all he could do for tonight.

He passed the time by reviewing that day, unable to stray from those thoughts. It keeps coming back to Mink, conflicting memories of those gentle nights with him to the cold Mink he saw in class. He wanted to talk to him, to get an explanation from him, but at the same time, he didn’t

His Coil rang.

Lifting it up to view, he saw it was from Mink. Aoba sighed, and just let the Coil ring. If Mink was ignoring him, he might as well do the same. The ringing persisted after each call was dropped again and again, and finally, Aoba decided to just pick it up and see what Mink wanted, but mostly to stop the incessant ringing. He wasn’t going to be nice this time.

“What do you want?” He answered curtly, avoiding looking at Mink’s face on the Coil.

“I just want to remind you of our next session on Friday night.” Mink’s voice sounded far too pleasant. It wasn’t fair.

Aoba half-wanted to tell Mink off, that he wasn’t going to attend any more sessions. Then as if right on cue, a faint pain started to creep back into his head. A combination of the stress from dealing with Mink’s strange behaviour (and perhaps from Granny smacking him) had brought back his headaches.

He couldn’t say no.

Mink’s sessions really was helping. Aoba supposed he’d just go, and go through the session like how it should be. _No, how it should be is being with Mink._

Aoba sighed, then looked at the Coil again, at Mink.

“Fine.”

“I’ll see you then.” For some reason, Mink sounded relieved. He hung up the call, and Aoba was left to roll over in bed to think over what exactly had happened.

  
  


Aoba had prepared to go to Mink’s house, fully resolved to give him a piece of his mind before the session can start.

At the door, however, Mink was his usual self again. He was wearing a pink cardigan over a turtleneck sweater, hair down and glasses perched on his head. Mink wasn’t smiling this time. _Why should he be happy having me over after the way he’s been treating me?_

Aoba marched through the door, ignoring Mink completely. Fine, he was here for another session, and might as well get it over with. He slumped down on the couch, barely noticing the different arrangement on the coffee table, then laid down with his back to the room. Aoba suddenly didn’t feel like talking anymore.

Much to Aoba’s displeasure, Mink had taken a seat on the couch by his foot. He pulled his legs in, trying to force as much space between them without having to get up.

“Did you think about it?”

Aoba kept quiet, hiding his face into the couch’s cushion. Unfortunately, there was that strong aroma of cinnamon that permeated the place he just couldn’t ignore.

“Aoba.”

No response.

“Are you ignoring me now?”

Aoba sniffled, finally looking up at Mink. “Can we just get this session over with?”

Mink sighed, then leaned over to start lighting a few sticks of incense. He paused, looking over at Aoba, then moved to sit closer to him.

“Aoba, if you are mad at me because I have been ignoring you, I had a reason.” Aoba was looking at him now. Neither of them could read each other’s eyes. “I had to give you a chance to really think it over. Do you remember what I asked of you last time?”

Aoba slowly nodded, and sat up. He wasn’t sure what to respond to that. Ignoring him so Aoba could think? What the hell kind of strategy was that? He sniffed again, lowering his eyes.

“Aoba?”

He couldn’t help it. Mink’s voice was too gentle. This is what he had always wanted, to be with Mink and hear that voice again.

Aoba brought his gaze up again, this time _really_ looking at Mink. He studied those amber eyes, his gaze trailing down those sharp features to his… mouth.

Before he knew it, he threw himself at Mink impulsively and pressed a fervent kiss on his lips. Then as sudden as his rash decision was, he tore himself away and turned around on the couch, bringing his legs up to hug his knees. Tears were starting to form in the corner of his eyes, so he hid his face into his knees. He didn’t want mink to see him like this, not while he was acting all childish. Then again, wasn’t it also a childish behavior from Mink, ignoring him until he could get an answer out of him?

He shuddered as he felt gentle hand brush some of his bangs back. It lingered there for a moment before withdrawing. Mink seemed to be moving, and at first Aoba thought he was going to get up and leave him alone, but he had simply shifted over to the far end of the couch again.

Aoba felt disconcerted, as if he wanted him to be close again. As upset as he was with Mink, he couldn’t hide his feeling from him, not even himself.

“Mink…” He whispered into his knees, then deciding it would be better for the both of them, he sat back up and turned around to face him. A tear slid down his cheek before he could catch it, and he wiped it away furiously as Mink looked a bit startled.

“I just want to know one thing.”

“... I will answer anything you ask of me.”

“ _Why?_ ” Aoba took in a deep shuddering breath, unable to stop himself as he burst into a rant.

“Why me? Why are you helping me? Why have you been treating me so nice here, and why are you so cold to me when I sit in one of your classes? It could have been any other student. Why me? Why did you let me kiss you, and kissed me back, and took care of me the entire time I was here?

Why did you let me think that you were angry with me, that you had to ignore me so I could just _think_? What the hell was that? _Why me_?”

Aoba finished, his breaths coming quick, suddenly embarrassed by the slew of words he had just let out. He had just let all his pent-up thoughts and insecurities spill from his mouth. Had he just made things worse? He was mortified, frozen in place and staring at Mink, waiting for his response.

It seemed to take forever for it to come.

Finally…

“Understand me first, before I answer that question. Can you do that?” Mink stared at Aoba, his turn to wait for a response. He nodded.

“Good.” He sighed, then reached for Aoba’s hand. It took him a moment, but Aoba had shifted closer and took Mink’s hand into his own.

“When you first kissed me, I was angry. I, however, was not angry with you.” After seeing a puzzled expression on Aoba’s face, he added: “I was angry with myself.”

“I did not want to admit this, but you have given me no choice. I was angry with myself, because when you kissed me, I thought I was going to lose all of my self-control with you.

I decided to help you for two reasons. One of them, I stand by what I said last time: If I had a way to help out any one of my students, I will go out of my way to do so. Secondly, and quite unusually, I had found myself… attracted to you.”

Aoba couldn’t help but gasp a bit at that, then cast his gaze down at their hands. Actually, he wasn’t really surprised at that answer. They had already seemed to show each other their mutual attraction in each other, even before they kissed.

He moved in closer, lifting Mink’s arm and ducking under so that he could sit pressed to his side, Mink's arm around his shoulder. Closing his eyes, he allowed himself to settle against his warm chest, inhaling into the scent he liked best. Mink pulled Aoba closer with his arm, then moved his hand up to his head, running his fingers delicately through Aoba’s hair, brushing it away from his face.

“I apologize if I had upset you too much.” Mink spoke up again, his fingers idly twirling Aoba’s hair now. “It was not my intention.”

Aoba laughed softly, looking up at Mink. “You sure don’t intend to do a lot of things, you know…”

Mink smiled for the first time tonight, even if it was just a small smile. That was all Aoba needed.

“Whatever goes on from here,” Mink continued, sliding his hand down to cup the side of Aoba’s face. “Whatever we may do, we shall do out of our own free will.

Aoba smiled, brighter than Mink could ever manage. “Agreed.”


	6. Chapter 6

The days where Aoba did not have classes with Mink were not his best days. He wished he could see him. It always seemed like Mink was busy, and it was impossible to catch him in his office. Twice today he had tried already, and he was determined to make his third attempt after his class he was heading to right now. Did it seem too stalker-ish for Aoba to do this?

He was too distracted to notice that someone had fallen in step next to him.

“Oh!” It’s Mink.

Mink quickly got a word in before Aoba could recover from the shock of suddenly seeing him there.

“Come to my office after your class. I want to discuss something with you.” He left, leaving Aoba standing alone staring after him. It was Mink… He had been thinking about him (as he had been all day anyway) and he was suddenly there!

When he recovered, all Aoba could do was smile. It seemed like his brain didn’t register the second half of what Mink said, only looking forward to _seeing him again_. In his office. _Alone_.

Humming softly, he continued on to his class.

 

“Come in.” Mink’s response was instantaneous after Aoba knocked on his office door, and he took a moment to calm his heart as he had hurriedly made his way to Mink’s after his last class, which, as he’d admit, he wasn’t paying attention to.

He opened the door, and there was Mink, sitting at his desk and surrounded by piles of paperwork he was currently immersed in. The office was otherwise empty, the desks normally occupied by Mink’s colleagues vacated. Aoba lingered at the door, as if waiting for him to look up.

“Close the door and sit here, I’ll be just a moment.” Mink spoke distractedly, vaguely nodding towards a chair by his desk, and Aoba obliged, a bit disappointed that he didn’t look up afterall. He flicked the lock on the door almost subconsciously, reasoning with himself that they’d probably need privacy for whatever he and Mink were going to talk about.

Choosing a seat, Aoba waited patiently. Or so he thought he was patient, as his hands wringed nervously on his lap.

Finally, Mink looked up, setting his glasses down on his desk. He studied Aoba for a minute, then smiled.

“Thank you for coming.”

“O-of course, Mink.” Aoba blushed, then immediately edited himself. “I mean, sir.”

Mink just looked amused, not seeming to mind.

“I just wanted to ask you a few questions about your schoolwork and yourself, if you don’t mind.” Mink looked down again, sorting through some papers until he found the one he was looking for. It was good that Mink wasn’t looking at Aoba again, else he would have caught the look of disappointment in Aoba’s face.

“First of all, how are you doing?” Mink looked up, and Aoba could see the genuine concern on his face. It was as if he was not just his professor, but someone who cared for him.

“I’m… alright.” Aoba wondered if Mink was asking for something more specific, considering their sessions together. “My head has been feeling fine most of the time. It sometimes comes back at night, but it doesn’t bother me too much. It’s pretty dull compared to before.”

Mink nodded, as if satisfied with the answer. He looked down at the papers he was holding again.

“Your grades have been improving, which means our sessions are working. However,” He looked back at Aoba, his eyes seemingly trying to figure something out in him. “It could be better. I know you can do this, as I have evidence here of your excellent marks from last year.”

“Erm, well…” Aoba fidgeted in his seat, looking away from Mink. True, he has been feeling better. He could have studied harder, but… This one, he really didn’t want to talk to Mink about.

Whether or not Mink could read his mind, he had moved on from the subject.

“I suppose these things take time. Of course, I would to continue our sessions. I have something else I would like to try.”

Aoba looked up a bit too quickly, but Mink had already turned his attention back to the papers on his desk.

“I would like that… _sir._ ” He added the last bit into a whisper, which would hardly reach Mink’s ears. Aoba sat there for a moment, watching as Mink picked up his glasses to slide them back on his face, focusing his attention back on the stack of papers on his desk again.

Aoba waited a bit, then realized that whatever he hoped would happen here wasn’t going to at all.

“Is that all you needed from me today?” Aoba asked, feeling defeated.

Mink nodded, looking back up at Aoba one more time with a look of dismissal. “That’s all.”

Aoba quietly stood up from his chair and was about to leave, but something came up that changed his mind. Walking around Mink’s desk, he then stood beside him, tightening his hands nervously behind his back. If there was a chance to do this, that time was now.

“Mink…”

“Hm?” Mink still seemed distracted, not looking up from his papers.

“Can I... kiss you?”

Mink sighed, removing his glasses again. He looked up at Aoba, considering him for a moment, before teasing a smile on his lips. “Make sure the door is locked, then come here.”

Shyly, Aoba smiled. “I locked the door when I came in.” Mink raised his eyebrows at that, in which Aoba replied with a shrug of his shoulders.

Taking a hold of the back of Mink’s chair, Aoba leaned down and came face-to-face with Mink, gazing into his amber eyes through his lenses for a moment before planting a sweet kiss on his lips. With a hum, he straightened up, took a step back while still looking at Mink. Feeling slightly satisfied, he turned to leave.

“Was that all?” Mink leaned back in his chair, and when Aoba glanced back at him, he was surprised to see an expectant expression on his face. Was Mink looking forward to this too? Mink seemed the kind of person who wouldn’t bring that up, and… Aoba found that unexpectedly cute.

With a soft laugh, he slid into Mink’s lap, throwing his arms around his neck and leaned in for another kiss. Mink met him halfway, moving his lips against Aoba’s with more enthusiasm than he expected.

Ah, that scent of cinnamon. It was quite faint now, but still noticeable with them being so close to each other. The scent triggered something within Aoba, suddenly feeling his emotions flare up as they continued to kiss. He moaned a bit as he felt Mink’s tongue gently prying his lips apart, fingers gripping at Mink’s shirt a bit tighter.

Aoba shuddered at the faint taste of cinnamon, still amazed at how Mink doesn’t only smell that way, but taste that way too. How else, he wondered. He pulled away a bit to stare at Mink in wonder, but wasn’t given much chance to do so as Mink reached for him to kiss him a bit more.

After what seemed like a long while, they broke apart, saliva trailing between their mouths. Aoba ran a thumb across his lips to wipe off the saliva, and spent a moment to just take in Mink’s face.

Burying his face in Mink’s shoulder, he let out a muffled giggle.

“What’s so funny?” Mink inquired softly, and Aoba moved back just enough to see his face again.

“Nothing.” Leaning forward, Aoba put his forehead on Mink’s and closed his eyes.

This is really how it was meant to be, wasn’t it? Despite a rough start, they were warming up to each other. Things were still new, of course, but Aoba couldn’t be any happier. If he was given just a bit of time alone with Mink to do something like this, it would be all right.

“I’m just.. really happy.”

 

The rest of the week went by in a blur, and then came the day of their next session. Aoba was up early, unable to sleep any longer for his anticipation of seeing Mink again. He went downstairs for breakfast with Granny before she could even yell at him to come on down.

Tae was quite perceptive, noticing the small changes in his behaviour this morning, but said nothing as they both sat down at the table to eat.

He sat down and ate with her, unaware of the happy expression he was wearing on his face. Granny might have sensed that something was different with him, but they kept quiet during their meal. She only spoke up at last when he had finished and gotten out of his chair.

“Going to see him now?”

“Whaaa-?” Aoba twirled around in surprise, staring at Granny with a look of confusion. What did she know? Aoba hadn’t had a chance to really talk about Mink to her, as he was a bit reluctant to do so as well. There was only that one time, and it wasn’t a very good time then.

Granny only scoffed, getting up to put the plates away. Aoba decided to help, following her to the kitchen.

“Y-yeah, I am.”

She started to work in the sink, rinsing and washing the dishes while Aoba stood beside her to help dry them off. They were quiet for a while again, Granny seeming intent on getting the dishes done first.

When the last of the dishes was put away, Granny turned to Aoba again.

“So things are better with him?” She was referring to that other time, which Aoba did not want to really think about anymore. He was just too happy right now.

Aoba couldn’t hold back a small smile, turning away from her. “Yes.”

Another scoff. He couldn’t really tell about Granny’s opinion about the situation.

“Well, are you ever going to tell me anything about him?”

He opened his mouth to reply, then shut it again, unsure of how to explain things to her. Fortunately, as his eyes wandered to the clock nearby, he had realized he was nearly late.

“Ah-! I’ve got to go.” Giving his Granny a quick kiss on the cheek and an apologetic smile, he ran out of the kitchen, catching Granny’s one last yell as it echoed through the house.

“Get that little butt of yours home for dinner tonight!”

 

  
“Hey! Where did all the usual stuff go?” Aoba exclaimed as he stared at the coffee table in Mink’s living room, which had been left bare save for a mug at the edge near where Mink usually sat.

Mink had returned from the kitchen carrying another mug which he handed to Aoba. “I told you that I wanted to try something different this time. You’ll see.”

Aoba nodded quietly, then raised the cup to his nose. Sniffing it tentatively, he could smell cinnamon. It was just hot chocolate, too. So it wasn’t the drink, then.

He moved over to the couch, Mink sitting across from him and picking up his own mug. Aoba expressed a quiet discomfort over their positionings, but took his first sip of the drink. It was delicious, of course.

“Oh, Granny wants me home early tonight.” Aoba added, almost having forgotten it. Mink only nodded, and the two of them were soon sitting and drinking quietly across from each other.

Aoba finished his drink quite quickly (as it wasn’t too hot) and set his mug down, looking up at Mink. Really... what was up with this guy? He never seems to reveal things to Aoba all the time, and goes into sudden reservedness at random times.

Was this “something different” a… physical thing? Suddenly, his heartbeat rose quickly. Considering what happened in Mink’s shared office last time, was it possible they could take things further this time? It seemed like a perfect opportunity.

After all, the result of such acts could provide temporary relief to his head pains.

So was that really it?

Aoba hadn’t noticed that Mink was staring back at him, and the blush was quick to rise to his face. Mink only smirked, setting his own mug down.

“In case you were wondering, I did not put anything special in the drink.” For a moment, Aoba had the silly thought that Mink could read minds, but that was certainly not the case.

“Oh…” He breathed out, staring down at his hands on his lap.

Aoba heard a shuffle of movements, and soon Mink was there sitting right next to him. A little too closely. Were they really gonna…

A low chuckle from Mink caused Aoba to look up at him in surprise, to see a look of amusement on Mink’s face.

“I would rather we didn’t do anything physical today.” Mink shifted a bit away from Aoba, as if to let him breathe. Aoba did so, slightly relieved. Yet, disappointed all the same.

“As I said, I have something different I want to try. We need to focus on helping you.”

Aoba made to protest that he was, in fact, perfectly _o-k_. Yet, with one look at Mink, he nodded in resignation. He’ll just have to wait and see what Mink has in store for him.

Mink lifted his hand to reach out for Aoba’s, moving on the couch so he was facing Aoba directly. “Give me your hand.”

Aoba gave him his hand without question, mimicking his seating position as well, crossing his legs to feel more comfortable.

Turning Aoba’s hand over, Mink took the time to study his palm. Was he doing a palm reading…?

“What I want to try is acupressure. It is a simple technique, as you put pressure on a certain part of one’s body, like so.” Demonstrating, Mink moved his thumb over to that fleshy web between Aoba’s thumb and forefinger, then lightly pressing against it. It tingled, but wasn’t entirely bothersome. “I studied on the practice and have yet to practice this on anyone, but I am certain it will work.”

Mink seemed so sure, as Aoba could hear in the tone of his voice, making him inclined to believe him. He decided to play along, not looking down at what Mink was doing but instead staring right into his face. It seemed so intense, how he concentrated on what he was doing.

Not long since he started on one hand, he had taken up to work on the other. Aoba let his finished hand rest on his knee, tingling with numbness.

“Was that it…?” He didn’t mean to sound ungrateful, but it seemed to end far too soon. Sure, it felt nice, but he wanted to be here until he had to depart in the evening, and they didn’t seem to be going anywhere further from this point.

“No.” Mink answered, standing up. “Lie down on your stomach.”

Aoba obliged, turning around so he could lay down across the length of the couch. It was just long enough for his height. There was a pillow at the end of the couch, so he grabbed it and wrapped his arms around it, breathing in the cinnamon scent deeply.

Mink had lifted Aoba’s legs so he could sit down at the other end, resting his feet on his lap. Taking off Aoba’s socks, he placed his thumb again on him, this time between his big toe and second toe. “This spot is similar to the ones on your hand.”

Aoba murmured in understanding, his face still buried in the pillow. The moment Mink had begun working on his foot, he lifted his head up a bit so he could breathe, resting his chin on the pillow.

This felt good. Really good. It was strange at first, perhaps just the sensation feeling unusual as he had never done this before. Yet, it seemed like Mink was an expert with his fingers.

He relaxed into the couch, feeling whatever headache that had lingered fade and disappear completely. His eyelids drooped. He wasn’t exactly tired, but this was just so comfortable that he could just shut his eyes and rest a moment.

Time passed before he realized that Mink had finished up on his feet, and crawled over him, planting his knees on either side of Aoba’s hips leaning over him.

“Eh..?” Aoba wondered, waking himself up from his daze.

“You’re tense.” Mink’s hands on his shoulders confirmed the tight knots he felt too, unaware of how tense his entire body - aside from his hands and feet now - were. “If it is alright with you, I can give you a massage. It will make you feel better overall.

Aoba hummed a non-verbal consent into his pillow and let his eyes droop again, as Mink’s hands worked over his back. Mink was right, he was starting to feel better. Not only that, the longer (and lower) Mink went, Aoba was feeling something more in his lower regions. He fought to control it, burying his face deeper into the pillow without seeming too obvious. Yet, Mink stopped, detecting that something was wrong.

“Aoba?” His hands were close to Aoba’s face on the couch, which means he was directly above him.

Slowly, he turned his body around, Mink’s positioning allowing him to do so. Yet when he did, he found himself extremely close and extremely under Mink, which made the heat rise to his face all too rapidly.

Unable to turn his face away, he did the one thing he could. He kissed him.

Mink returned the kiss with just as much enthusiasm, driving Aoba’s head back to the pillow. They kept this up for quite some time, only stopping when Mink had dropped his body against Aoba for just a moment to grind against him, realizing what they were getting themselves into.

Suddenly Mink sat up, straddling on Aoba’s hips for just a second before he swung his legs off and moved over to the end of the couch. Aoba was left lying back where he was, breathing irregular as he tried to calm himself. Did they almost just…?

Catching a few more breaths, Aoba finally sat himself up, leaning forward as he hugged his knees. He looked over at Mink, who was staring off into space with his hand over his mouth. Did he regret this? It felt nice, and oh, Aoba really did want this, but he had to make sure Mink did too.

“Mink…”

Mink interrupted, yet not looking at Aoba. “I’m sorry. That was not intentional, and it took us a bit too far than I planned it to happen.”

Planned to? Aoba was confused, but Mink continued before Aoba could get word out.

“I would like to take things further with you someday, but I want the moment to be right.” Mink looked over at Aoba finally, a soft smile on his lips. Comforted, Aoba could only return the smile.

Shuffling closer, Aoba took a seat besides him, letting Mink wrap an arm around his shoulders.

“That’s okay.” He said quietly, snuggling close to his chest. Then, he looked up at Mink expectantly, a smile on his face. “We can still kiss, can we?”

Mink chuckled, then leaned down to give his forehead a quick peck. “Yes.”

 

  
“Do I have to go home?” Aoba whined softly, burying his face into Mink’s chest. He felt Mink’s hand on the back of his head, and looked up to see Mink smiling softly at him.

“Yes. You made it clear what time you had to return home.”

“Yeah, I know…” Aoba closed the gap between them and hugged Mink firmly, wanting to prolong this moment. He’ll see him again soon. Their relationship was steadily improving, and maybe even someday he will get to see Mink longer and on their own times. Still, he never liked leaving.

Sighing, he parted a bit to glance up at Mink again, and without asking this time, he lifted himself up to kiss him. Mink seemed to provide a buffer against the cool wind around them, and Aoba was reluctant to release himself from him, but after a moment he finally stepped back.

“Okay, let’s go.”

They got into the car, Mink holding Aoba’s hand the entire drive back to the city.

Aoba let out a quiet whine when Mink pulled over to their final destination, looking sadly toward his home. Granny was waiting for him in there, but at the same time he didn’t want to leave Mink.

He supposed, though, that he should make the best of this last moment tonight.

Boldly, Aoba turned around and leaned over his seat, reaching around the back of Mink’s neck and pulling him in for another kiss. For a moment he thought he would have resisted, considering how much of a public setting they were in, but as Mink returned the kiss just the same, Aoba cast his thoughts away.

Aoba was grinning when they parted and stole one last peck on Mink’s cheek before opening the door and getting out of the car. He closed the door and then stood at the sidewalk, watching Mink drive off. When the car disappeared around the corner down the street, Aoba ran inside the house and into his room, ignoring Granny’s protest along the way.

Flopping on his bed, he buried his face into his pillow and let out a happy sigh.


End file.
